Magnetism

As promised, I’m back with a review of the bracelet I received free from L. Michaels Jewelry. (Full disclosure – they sent it to me for free. I got to choose the style I wanted to try. I didn’t pay for it. But I’m going to review as though I did.) The package came last week (I was sent the one to your left here, which retails for $56.88) and I’ve been wearing it rather faithfully to test the theory that its magnetic properties are somehow healing.

The bracelet that came was huge! It took me a little time to figure out that it’s also self-adjustable – magnets. No string, no chain – just magnets. While the brochure didn’t say it, I still felt a little dumb for not figuring it out sooner. What’s neat is the additional links were enough to make a ring from, so I have that option, as well. In fact, the adjustability allows you design options. Each piece can be removed.

So to the wearing. This wears well. It scratches easily, which is not good for someone like me who is rough on anything on my wrist. The brochure explains the cleaning procedure – a good buff with high-gloss car polish (think NuFinish). I’ve not tried it, but I imagine with all the crevices, that’s going to be a tedious process.

I had one painful mishap with the bracelet. As I was toting a laptop in one arm and a handbag in the other, I felt something like a bee sting on the soft side of my wrist. Then I realized the pain was constant. The strong magnets had separated and reconnected and my skin was now between two magnets. Ouch.

But does it have healing properties? I put this on Friday around noon. I went back to work on the computer. I’m plagued with shoulder pain from my computer work and last week was particularly rough. However, two hours into wearing this, my shoulder felt fine. Was it the bracelet? Hard to say, but I didn’t have hip pain, either, and that’s been with me for a number of years (again, computer work). For me, that was enough to keep me wearing it. If I come to a definitive conclusion one way or the other later on, I’ll let you know.

One caution – if you work on a laptop, don’t wear it. The magnets are strong, as I mentioned. And magnets are cryptonite to hard drives, so there’s a good chance you could wipe out a hard drive if the magnets are anywhere near it for any length of time. In fact, anything electronic you’re using – cell phone, iPod, digital camera, USB drive – consider taking the bracelet off around it.

My conclusion – I love it. It’s a gorgeous, unique piece of jewelry that may at some point make me feel more energized. The company claims wearers could have to wait two weeks for the healing benefits to appear, so I’ll wait. Would I pay $56.88 for it? Until I wore it, no. Now, I’m considering buying one for my dad (an arthritis sufferer) and another one for myself that I think is pretty. I don’t like that it scratches or that it tends to leave painful “love bites” without warning. It seems to require frequent cleaning, and it requires additional care when handling the magnets, as letting them slam closed onto each other could cause more damage. Not low-maintenance jewelry, but not too much to handle.

What do you think? Would you pay more for a piece of jewelry that could make you feel better?